Share:

Phil Masters Trophyman

"Fusion: the process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity."

Take a great idea, the right materials, fuse them together and the result you get is spectacular. That´s what Phil Master (@trophyman.com.au) did when he designed and created 450 spectacular trophies for Southern 80; a Water Ski Race which takes place on the Murray River between Torrumbarry and Echuca on the second Sunday in February each year. The event is a two up water ski race that attracts over 500 entries from all over Australia with international representation from New Zealand, Great Britain, and the USA.

Phil and his team developed the concept for the amazing trophies some time ago, however they held off producing the design. "When we first developed the concept for this style of trophy, we felt the market wasn´t quite ready for it," said Phil Masters, Trophyman. "We were waiting for the right client, technology and materials to make this idea a reality."

In September of last year, he had the right client, now he needed the right materials to work with. That moment of synergy would happen when he was shown the Fusion Grafix range @rowmarkau stand at Visual Impact trade show. The exciting finishes had the look and feel he needed, plus they were very easy to work with and could be printed too, using UB technology.

With a design in mind, the right materials and technology, Phil and the team at Trophyman began work on the mammoth project. Because of the deadline, the sheets had to be flown in from the US for the job. And, given the number they had to create, the significance of the event and longstanding relationship with the client, there was no room for error. Which was fine, because the materials are, according to Phil, very easy to work with. Because of this, there was minimal learning curve required, the process of router cutting, laser cutting and UV printing could happen with relative ease.

After a couple of months of hard slogs, the final result was sensational. The client loved what Phil and the Trophyman team had achieved, so too the recipients of the awards @southern80. Phil had once again shown why, after 30 years in the industry, @trophyman.com.au is considered to be at the forefront of innovative design and service delivery.

And how, with a great idea and the right materials, you can make your mark.